Use of wireless high-fidelity speakers and earphones is well known. Technology within existing wireless earphones is continually improving based on consumer demands. Generally, a wireless earphone system includes the earphones, one for each ear which are coupled via wires, and a transceiver that connects to an audio source. The transceiver will receive audio signals from the audio source, and wirelessly transmit the audio signals to the earphones for play.
Many wireless earphones include electronics for improving sound quality. For example, earphones can include types of noise isolation, so that a listener would not have to turn up a volume to an uncomfortable or unsafe level when using the earphones in trains (and automobiles, airplanes, subways, and on busy city streets) to enjoy music or understand speech. Other existing earphones have good or high fidelity sound reproduction, for example, exhibiting accuracy scores of about 80-95% (where a perfect recording of a live performance played through earphones with a 100% accuracy would produce the same sound at the eardrum as the live performance). The Accuracy Score referred to above is as described in Mead Clifford Killion, “Design and evaluation of high-fidelity hearing aids,” Northwestern University Ph.D., 1979, pp 50-52, and also within Mead Clifford Killion, “Design and evaluation of high-fidelity hearing aids,” Northwestern University Ph.D. 1979, pp 50-52 (University Microfilms International, 300 N. Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106).
However, typical existing wireless earphone systems lack full functionality control, and simply operate to receive the audio signals for play without the opportunity for a listener to adjust the earphone volume at either the earphone or the audio player at the discretion of the listener. For example, when wireless earphones are used with an MP3 player, such as the Apple iPod® player, a volume control is typically located only at the earphone end of the wireless link, but not at the player end of the wireless link.
At certain times, it would be desirable to enable controls for volume at both the earphone and at the player at the choice of the listener. In addition, it would be desirable to make controls at both locations operational at all times, so that if a listener adjusts controls at one location, that location automatically and seamlessly takes over the function from the controls at the other location.